None of This Is True

** 4.5 Stars **

This riveting psychological thriller will have you in a chokehold! My experience reading this book was quite the opposite from when I read her other thriller The Night She Disappeared. I felt it was too safe and that Jewell didn't go there. But wow she holds no punches in this one.

It all begins when two women, Josie Fair and Alix Summers, meet by chance at a restaurant and discover that they are birthday twins sharing the same birthdate, and age and were born in the same hospital. A few days later as luck would have it the two women bump into each other again and strike up a conversation where Josie shares she's listened to Alix's podcast and believes she has an idea for a new series featuring her as the subject.

Although Alix finds her a tad bit eccentric and awkward she's ready to take her podcast in a new direction and agrees to give it a shot. But as the recording begins Alix learns about the dark secrets Josie has been hiding. And with every revelation she falls deeper into Josie's madness. Before she knows it Josie has disappeared resulting in a traumatic aftermath that threatens to destroy everything Alix holds dear.

What I loved about this story was Jewell's masterful foreshadowing. Through the mixed media elements of the documentary-style podcast excerpts we know that things go horribly wrong we just don't know what or how. This led me to eagerly turn the pages and created an atmosphere of suspense and foreboding.

Another favorite was how well Josie was written. We're made to see her as an unassuming, perhaps obsessive, oddball who's lived a traumatic life. I had conflicting emotions towards her. Despite the red flags and questionable behavior, there was a part of me that felt empathy towards Josie. And I perceived her just as Jewell wanted me to.

To say that I didn't see the ending coming is an understatement. I didn't believe for one second Jewell would take it where she took it but she did. And wow mind blown. I didn't expect such a sinister conclusion from her. But I really vibed with it.